Zola Jesus
“Night” (mp3)
from “Stridulum – EP”
(Sacred Bones Records)

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Zola Jesus is Nika Rosa Danilova, a trained opera singer from Wisconsin. Her lo-fi music – and most notably, her voice – has been applauded in The Wire, Pitchfork, and Fader. Her next full-length album won’t be released until 2011, but her EP Stridulum can easily tide you over. Plus, she’s currently on a North American and European tour where she will be playing with Wolf Parade, Fever Ray, and the xx. Zola Jesus is quickly becoming a big deal, so catch her at these shows:

Jul 03 – Des Moines, IA : 80/35 Festival
Jul 09 – New York, NY : South Street Seaport
Jul 13 – New York, NY : Terminal 5 (w/ Wolf Parade)
Jul 17 – Milwaukee, WI : Radio Summer Camp (w/ Wolf Parade)
Jul 24 – Seattle, WA : Capital Hill Block Party
Jul 25 – Portland, OR : Holocene
Jul 30 – Oakland, CA : Fox Theatre (w/ Wolf Parade)
Jul 31 – Los Angeles, CA : Wiltern (w/ Wolf Parade)
Aug 01 – Los Angeles, CA : Echo
Aug 31 – Brighton, England : Freebutt
Sept 01 – London, England : Camp Basement
Sept 02 – Manchester, England : Deaf Institute
Sept 03 – Leeds, England : Nation of Shopkeepers
Sept 04 – Glasgow, Scotland : Indian Summer Festival
Sept 05 – Edinburgh, Scotland : Roxy Art House
Sept 06 – Glasgow, Scotland : O2 ABC (w/ Fever Ray)
Sept 08 – London, England : Brixton Academy (w/ Fever Ray)
Sept 09 – Paris, France : La Cigale (w/ Fever Ray)
Sept 10 – Berlin, Germany : Berlin Festival
Sept 11-13 – Isle of Wight, England : Bestival (w/ Fever Ray)
Sept 22 – Los Angeles, CA : Hollywood Palladium (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Sept 23 – Oakland, CA : Fox Theater (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Sept 25 – Seattle, WA : Paramount Theatre (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 01 – Montreal, Quebec : Place des Arts Maissoneuve (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 02 – New York, NY : United Palace Theatre (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 04 – Philadelphia, PA : Merriam Theatre (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 05 – Washington, DC : 9:30 Club (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 06 – Atlanta, GA : Tabernacle (w/ the xx and Warpaint)
Oct 08 – Dallas, TX : Granada Theatre (w/ the xx and Warpaint)

Baths
“Maximalist” (mp3)
from “Cerulean”
(anticon)

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Baths is really 21-year-old L.A. music-maker, Will Wiesenfeld. Over the last six years, under the handle of [Post-Foetus], Wiesenfeld has gainfully explored the intersections and outer reaches of both electronic and acoustic music. With Baths, his eclecticism finds its greatest focus yet, in a hail of lush melodies, ghostly choirs, playful instrumentation and stuttering beats. Cerulean is the auspicious debut of L.A.’s Baths. Evolving out of Will Wiesenfeld’s varied [Post-Foetus] project, and inspired by the energy of the L.A.’s burgeoning beat scene, the record represents a clear departure from both – an often warm, acoustic-fueled electronic music that hews closer to the work of contemporaries like Toro Y Moi. By combining songwriting with self-sampling, raw musicianship with synthesized textures, and field recordings with propulsive beats, Baths has created a seething sound-cloud packed with bright moments and prone to unexpected turns. Here are Baths tour dates:

Jul 3 -Los Angeles, CA : The Troubadour (Album Release show)
Jul 9 -Austin, TX : Club Deville
Jul 17 -Salem, OR : Emrg’N’See Festival
Jul 28 -Fresno, CA : Frank’s Place (w/ Memoryhouse)
Jul 30 -Santa Cruz, CA : The Mille Gallery (w/ Memoryhouse)
Jul 31 -San Francisco, CA : Rickshaw Stop (w/ Memoryhouse)
Aug 21 -San Diego, CA : Soda Bar (w/ Jogger)
Aug 25 -Arcata, CA : Humbrews (w/ Jogger)
Aug 27 -Seattle, WA : Comet Tavern (w/ Jogger)
Aug 28 -Portland, OR : Holocene (w/ Jogger)

Tender Trap
“Do You Want A Boyfriend?” (mp3)
from “Dansette Dansette”
(Slumberland Records)

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Tender Trap started in 2001 with Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey and a small 8 track machine. John Stanley (aka DJ Downfall) joined the band to help create rhythm tracks and play the bass. After a prolonged hiatus, Tender Trap are back with two brand new band members: Katrina Dixon (ex Police Cat, Sally Skull) on drums and vocals and Elizabeth Darling (‘Allo Darlin’) on keyboards, guitar and vocals. Dansette Dansette combines the harmonies, oohs, ahs and sha-la-las of classic girl-pop with the stripped down beats and dirty guitars of the Shop Assistants and The Vaselines. Tender Trap has a July tour through the UK:

Jul 3 -Brighton, South, UK : The Hope
Jul 9 -Leeds, West Yorks, UK : Upstairs at The Library
Jul 10 -Liverpool, UK : Mello Mello
Jul 13 -Oxford, Oxfordshir, UK : The Wheatsheaf
Jul 14 -London, UK : Rough Trade East
Jul 22 -London, UK : JAMM

Blip Blip Bleep
“Freak You Out” (mp3)
from “Like Track Stars”
(Undercover Culture Music)

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Blip Blip Bleep is New York producer and singer Sean Han. BBB’s new album Like Track Stars employs the help of drummer Jo Jo Schwartz and singer Alexa Danner. Like Track Stars is BBB’s first full-length album after two EPs and it showcases remarkable electro-rock talent. To catch Blip Blip Bleep, check out the following tour dates:

June 26 – New York, NY : Mercury Lounge CD release show
Jul 3 -New York, NY : Pianos (w/ Geographer)
Jul 11 – Easton, MD : Avalon Theater
Jul 16 -New York, NY : Rockwood Music Hall (w/ Deadbeat Darling)
Aug 6 -Wantagh, NY : Jones Beach Side Stage (w/ Paramore and Tegan and Sara)

Artist: The Stone Foxes
Title: Bears & Bulls
Label: The Stone Foxes
Genre: Rock & Roll, Blues
UPC: 700261302607
Territory: World
Release Date: 07.06.10

The Bay Area quartet The Stone Foxes is made up of brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler, Aaron Mort, and Avi Vincour. Bears & Bulls is their second album, and it’s full of great song writing, warm guitars, a nut-tight rhythm section, and occasional blues harp riffs. The band is influenced by the greats of the late 60s and early 70s like The Band, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin, but it’s the way they create and record their music that sets them apart. Huge fans of playing live, The Stone Foxes develop their music onstage over a period of time. To record Bears & Bulls, the band built their own studio and recorded it with almost no overdubs to keep that live energy flowing. Starting in July, they’ll be embarking on a West coast tour:

Jul 16 -Crystal Bay, NV : Crystal Bay Casino
Jul 17 -San Francisco, CA : Café du Nord
Jul 30 -West Hollywood, CA : The Viper Room
Jul 31 -Visalia, CA : The Cellar Door
Sept 15 -Boise, ID : Alive After Five
Sept 25 -Ukiah, CA : Ukiah Brewing Co.

Artist: These United States
Title: What Lasts
Label: United Interests
Genre: Alternative : Rock
UPC: 744626010622
Territory: World
Release Date: 07.20.10

These United States consists of singer-songwriter Jesse Elliott and his band J. Tom Hnatow, Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and Colin Kellogg. Their music is known for its wordy and poetic lyrics, and its successful synthesizing of various sounds and styles. They truly know no boundaries when it comes to making their music. What Lasts is their fourth album, and it is a melting pot of folk, psychedelic, pop, and early rock-and-roll. They are currently on a huge national tour, so check out these dates:

June 24 -Brooklyn, NY : Music Hall of Williamsburg
June 25 -Montral, QC, Canada : La Sala Rossa
June 26 -Toronto, ON, Canada : Horseshoe Tavern
June 27 -Detroit, MI : The Magic Stick
June 28 -Chicago, IL : Lincoln Hall
June 29 -Madison, WI : High Noon Saloon
Jul 1 -Minneapolis, MN : Cedar cultural Center
Jul 2 -Lincoln, NE : Bourbon Theatre
Jul 3 -Lawrence, KS : The Bottleneck
Jul 4 -Maquoketa, IA : Daytrotter’s Codfish Hallow Barn
Jul 18 -Camden, NJ : XPoNential Music Fest
Jul 23 -Denver, CO : Denver Post Underground Music Showcase
Jul 24 -Salt Lake City, UT : Kilby Court
Jul 25 -Boise, ID : The Bouquet
Jul 27 -Seattle, WA : KEXP 90.3 FM, Live In-Studio
Jul 27 -Seattle, WA : Tractor Tavern
Jul 29 -Eugene, OR : Sam Bond’s Garage
Jul 30 -Davis, CA : Sophia’s
Jul 31 -Big Sur, CA : Genre Miller Library
Aug 2 -Costa Mesa, CA : Detroit Bar
Aug 3 -San Diego, CA : Casbah
Aug 6 -Chicago, CA : Lollapalooza
Aug 7 -Portland, OR : Pickathon Music Fest
Aug 10 -Arcata CA : Humbrews
Aug 11 -Santa Cruz, CA : The Crepe Place
Aug 12 -San Francisco, CA : Bottom of the Hill
Aug 13 -Los Angeles, CA : Spaceland
Aug 18 -Telluride, CO : Sunset Concert Series
Aug 19 -Aspen, CO : Aspen Jazz Free Concert Series
Aug 21 -Boulder, CO : Fox Theatre
Aug 27 -Pittsburgh, PA : Rock the Block with WYEP 91.3 FM
Oct 16 – 17 -Joshua Tree, CA : Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival